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In this profound and moving philosophical statement, Camus poses the fundamental question: Is life worth living? If human existence holds no significance, what can keep us from suicide?
As Camus argues, if there is no God to give meaning to our lives, humans must take on that purpose themselves. This is our 'absurd' task, like Sisyphus forever rolling his rock up a hill, as the inevitability of death constantly overshadows us. Written during the bleakest days of the Second World War, The Myth of Sisyphus argues for an acceptance of reality that encompasses revolt, passion and, above all, liberty.
This volume contains several other essays, including lyrical evocations of the sunlit cities of Algiers and Oran, the settings of his great novels The Outsider and The Plague.
About the Author
Albert Camus is the author of a number of best-selling and highly influential works, all of which are published by Penguin. They include THE FALL, THE OUTSIDER and THE FIRST MAN. He is remembered as one of the few writers to have shaped the intellectual climate of post-war France, but beyond that, his fame has been international.
Translated by Justin O'Brien
With an Introduction by James Wood
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There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Albert Camus, who will not call himself a philosopher, who will not "sit on a judge's bench" here, in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, describes an "absurd sensitivity" he feels prevalent in this age. He is concerned with the principle that "for a man who does not cheat, what he believes to be true must determine his action." Consequently, how should someone, in finding the world absurd, find resource to continue in that world. Indeed, for Camus, "there is but one truly philosophical problem and that is suicide."
He clubs philosophers, scientists and religious acolytes together for their leap into construction and the world of their belief; "the leap does not represent an extreme danger, as Kierkegaard would have it. The danger, on the contrary, lies in the subtle instant that precedes the leap. Being able to remain in that dizzying crest - that is integrity and the rest is subterfuge."
Aware of the dangers of ignorance and enthusiasm, Camus propounds a life of self-exhaustion and permanent revolution, concerned not only with the quality of life, but with its quantity; "a man's rule of conduct and his scale of values have no meaning except through the quantity and variety of experiences he has been able to accumulate." But this is not a blank cheque for violence, "one must not be a dupe", it is the means for art to realise its ultimate importance; "the great work of art has less significance in itself than the ordeal that it demands of the man and the opportunity which it provides him of overcoming his phantoms and approaching a little closer to his naked reality." Absurdity provides us with a justification for authentic creative effort.
Technically, Camus does not impress, as Sartre's or Heidegger's analyses do. But we have to appreciate him on his own terms, he even asks for our "indulgence" in his preface. He is not concerned with drawing up irreproachable ontological walls, building closed systems or universes, but with providing some light by which to see how everything we do is already contained within walls which we only have to create within to be free. Less impressive than his fiction, yes, but still immensely influential.
The five other essays in this collection, especially Summer in Algiers and The Minotaur, both lyrical eulogies to the cities and the country in Africa, provide counterweight to the main essay; uneasy as a philosopher, here Camus shows his true colours, simply those of a great writer.
He clubs philosophers, scientists and religious acolytes together for their leap into construction and the world of their belief; "the leap does not represent an extreme danger, as Kierkegaard would have it. The danger, on the contrary, lies in the subtle instant that precedes the leap. Being able to remain in that dizzying crest - that is integrity and the rest is subterfuge."
Aware of the dangers of ignorance and enthusiasm, Camus propounds a life of self-exhaustion and permanent revolution, concerned not only with the quality of life, but with its quantity; "a man's rule of conduct and his scale of values have no meaning except through the quantity and variety of experiences he has been able to accumulate." But this is not a blank cheque for violence, "one must not be a dupe", it is the means for art to realise its ultimate importance; "the great work of art has less significance in itself than the ordeal that it demands of the man and the opportunity which it provides him of overcoming his phantoms and approaching a little closer to his naked reality." Absurdity provides us with a justification for authentic creative effort.
Technically, Camus does not impress, as Sartre's or Heidegger's analyses do. But we have to appreciate him on his own terms, he even asks for our "indulgence" in his preface. He is not concerned with drawing up irreproachable ontological walls, building closed systems or universes, but with providing some light by which to see how everything we do is already contained within walls which we only have to create within to be free. Less impressive than his fiction, yes, but still immensely influential.
The five other essays in this collection, especially Summer in Algiers and The Minotaur, both lyrical eulogies to the cities and the country in Africa, provide counterweight to the main essay; uneasy as a philosopher, here Camus shows his true colours, simply those of a great writer.
39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you are at all interested in Camus' philosophy you must read these thoughts on the Human Condition based around the story of Sysiphus who was condemned to pushing a great boulder to the top of a mountain only to see it rolling back to the bottom again. Camus' thoughts are not as bleak as pessimists might first imagine. Essential reading for insights into 20th century takes on the absurdity of out condition.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Firstly, I think the central reasoning behind Absurdism is absolutely fantastic. I used to think I was an existentialist, but always felt it a little too earnest, or humourless, and leant too near Nihilism. To say Camus dresses this work in a cloak of impregnability, though being a little harsh, is true enough. If you are not totally familiar with either the ideologies or the language of philosophy, then this will be a hard read. It`s not a weighty tome, it`s a small paperback, a collection of various essays and short stories, and this version is smaller than A5. It does become more easy to follow as it progresses, perhaps as the reader becomes used to the style. Anyway, I take this from it:
Camus is acknowledging that logically, in a universe that man can never know the point of, suicide is the sensible option. We will never know why we are here, or if there is reason, so should stop looking now, and end it all. But that rather cuts short the chance of future fun, doesn`t it? Even the bleakest of days can have something to recommend them. As Dawkins wryly notes in "The God Delusion", a friend of his was "rather looking forward to a good lunch", for example. Personally, I wouldn`t want to die without hearing the new Van Halen album, or wondering if England can become the No.1 ranked cricket team (doubtless some of you have an answer to that one already). It might be taken out of our hands at any time anyway, so why rush things along?
A leap of faith might be the answer. Hmmm...not for me I`m afraid. Whilst blindly believing something contrary to all logic appears to be of comfort to billions worldwide, this is, Camus observes rightly, philosophical suicide. Ignoring all logic and reasoning and evidence cannot be easy to do. If you can, and it harms no one, why not? (It does of course harm people everyday and has since time began, but that is a different subject).
The solution then? Well, like Sisyphus, just enjoy the boulder pushing. Sure - it will roll back, and you know it will - which I interpret as meaning you won`t be any nearer any particular purpose, whatever it is you are doing, because the true absurdity of life will undo your hard work sooner or later. Embrace the pointlessness, create a personal meaning, ideally within the confines of a modern, intelligent society where the emphasis is on personal responsibility, and try and have a little fun. Don`t try and look for anything else...that would just be absurd.
Camus is acknowledging that logically, in a universe that man can never know the point of, suicide is the sensible option. We will never know why we are here, or if there is reason, so should stop looking now, and end it all. But that rather cuts short the chance of future fun, doesn`t it? Even the bleakest of days can have something to recommend them. As Dawkins wryly notes in "The God Delusion", a friend of his was "rather looking forward to a good lunch", for example. Personally, I wouldn`t want to die without hearing the new Van Halen album, or wondering if England can become the No.1 ranked cricket team (doubtless some of you have an answer to that one already). It might be taken out of our hands at any time anyway, so why rush things along?
A leap of faith might be the answer. Hmmm...not for me I`m afraid. Whilst blindly believing something contrary to all logic appears to be of comfort to billions worldwide, this is, Camus observes rightly, philosophical suicide. Ignoring all logic and reasoning and evidence cannot be easy to do. If you can, and it harms no one, why not? (It does of course harm people everyday and has since time began, but that is a different subject).
The solution then? Well, like Sisyphus, just enjoy the boulder pushing. Sure - it will roll back, and you know it will - which I interpret as meaning you won`t be any nearer any particular purpose, whatever it is you are doing, because the true absurdity of life will undo your hard work sooner or later. Embrace the pointlessness, create a personal meaning, ideally within the confines of a modern, intelligent society where the emphasis is on personal responsibility, and try and have a little fun. Don`t try and look for anything else...that would just be absurd.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Roll That Stone Down The Hill
This is actually a collection of essays and stories of which The Myths of Sisyphus is the main one and it is a royal descent into absurdity. Read more
Published 11 days ago by demola
great service as usual
exactly what i wanted, fantastic book, arrived early, very happy with both book & service. Needed this text for my university course so time is always a factor, rarely if ever let... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Niki
Great intoduction to Camus.
Its the best possible intoduction to Camus, and it is not such a hard read (as some of his writings can be).
Published 11 months ago by BigMan
If there is meaning here, a lot of prerequisites are required...
..as they used to say when signing up for a college course. Reading this book was a slog, ten pages at a time, and the one saving grace is that I did not have to write a paper... Read more
Published 14 months ago by John P. Jones III
obscure
i am a professional philosopher and i have no trouble reading kant and so on. but this is long winded and obscure and it never gets to the point, presumably because tehre is no... Read more
Published 19 months ago by asp
philosophy schmilosophy
Camus was particularly young when he wrote this short thesis. On the whole it doesn't concern Sisyphus, mostly just Camus' naive opinionated ramblings. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. Matthew J. Kay
Absurd, but in a positive way!
This is a lovely little thesis on the meaning (or lack of meaning) of life. Camus (pronounced Kamoo) is clearly an intellectual giant and the first half of this work will be far... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Justice Peace
The Mind of the Atheist
Atheism, Randomness, and Nihilism:
When one finds himself in this world that we live, he asks what is it for? Why did it arise? What is the reasoning/meaning behind it? Read more
When one finds himself in this world that we live, he asks what is it for? Why did it arise? What is the reasoning/meaning behind it? Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2009 by Zolfiqar
outstanding
Parts of this book are revalatory. The account of someone "awakening to absurdity" - the sense of meaninglessness which render everyday gestures and actions seem unreal, staged -... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2006 by Mr. M. J. Bowen
The Paradox of Life: Meaningful or Absurd?
The myth of Sisyphus is an ancient Greek myth - the
book of the same name by Camus is about the
philosophy of suicide, or rather the absurdity of
life. Read more
book of the same name by Camus is about the
philosophy of suicide, or rather the absurdity of
life. Read more
Published on 6 May 2006 by Christina
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